In order to mount a door or window that pivots within a building opening, normally a framing section is provided from which the wing such as a door or window is pivoted. These framing sections are joined to the reinforcing plates which surround the opening which are typically made from wood. The framing sections are then fastened to these wooden plates, and typically allowances are made for ensuring that the vapour seal on the warm side of the building are integrated with the framing section. The framing section so provided may be made from wood, plastic, metal such as aluminium, and fiberglass. Whatever framing section is provided, typically the vapour seal butts to the header, the striker jamb or the hinge jamb, but is not normally provided on the sill. When sills are made from plastic such as PVC or other hollow members, they are often reinforced with wood. It is important in this situation to provide drainage of the sills to prevent rotting of the wood. The wood therefore must be sealed against the elements. It is a necessary reinforcing member for the sill, but introduces into the structure the risk of rotting if not properly drained. A need therefore to eliminate this concern exists.
Doors or windows pivoted from framing sections typically pivot inwardly from the framing section or outwardly from the framing section. In this sense, "inwardly" refers to the pivoting of, for example, a door into the space defined by a room or a building, and a door which pivots "outwardly" is one that pivots from the framing section away from the space defined by the room or building. Quite often the installer will select the direction of pivoting of a door which best makes use of the space while addressing all of the issues required by fire codes within the respective countries. Another consideration when deciding in which direction to pivot a door or a window is the direction of the prevailing winds in that particular area. For example, a door which pivots outwardly from a building may be ripped from its hinges if typical wind velocities are significant in that particular geographical location. Of course, as mentioned above, as required by fire regulations within particular states and provinces, most exit doors from buildings pivot outwardly away from the building to allow for crash bars and the installation thereof on the interior side of each door.
Examples of known structures for windows and doors are set out below. A door may be defined as anything which pivots from a framing section whether it be a patio door, an interior door, an exterior door, an storm aluminum door, or the like. With reference to the term "window", Applicant is referring to windows which pivot from a framing section into the space of a room or out from the space of a room, such as a casement-type window which typically pivots outwardly, or a pivoting window which may pivot inwardly.
Installers, when installing a window, or a door, or alternatively any wing, must decide at the time of installation prior to installing the framing section as to what direction the wing will pivot. Once this decision is made, the framing section is installed in a manner so as to provide for the pivoting of that assembly. It would therefore be advantageous if a framing section were provided which were standardized to allow for the installation thereupon of a wing such as a door or window that pivots from the framing section either inwardly or outwardly with respect to the space being closed by the wing.
Referring now to Canadian Patent No. 1,326,788 assigned to the Aluminum Company of America, there is described a window structure including mitered corner joints which are fusion welded. The frame includes a pair of vertical jamb members connected rigidly to horizontal header and sill members. Each of the members are formed from an extruded plastic material. In one embodiment, the header and sill members include sloping walls and sloping wall mating portions as best seen in the figures, and specifically FIG. 4. In another embodiment, the inner and outer sections making up the jamb and header members include interfitting ribs and channel shaped portions forming a snap fit connection in the assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,781 issued to the same assignee from which the aforementioned Canadian patent claims priority. That assignee also has another U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,747, teaching a similar structure.
Referring now to European Patent Application No. 333,293 which was published on Sep. 20, 1989, there is disclosed a window or door frame made from plastic materials including jambs and a header wherein each of the portions are anchored directly to a wall leaf by co-acting coupling members and counter-coupling members used in conjunction with a plastic frame as best seen in FIG. 5.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,288 issued Jul. 17, 1990 describes framing structures for windows wherein the jamb header and sill members are all formed from extrusions of rigid plastic and inner and outer sections which snap fit in relation to one another. The frame is fusion welded having mitered corner joints and has a sill with a low profile.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,581 describes a window frame made of plastic material connected together with corner connectors and which corners are ultimately ultrasonically welded.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,375 issued Jan. 7, 1975 describes a curtain wall which includes internal weep holes and feed passages therein to provide for the venting of moisture.
Canadian Patent No. 1,322,302 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. No. 4,831,779 to the Schlegel Corporation describes a self-draining panel threshold including an open-ended water trough in the threshold which extends from one jamb to another and lies in a weather seal plane. In one of the embodiments, the sill has an incline surface that is inclined downwardly toward the water trough of the invention and allows for the water to run down the upper surface of the sill into the water trough and from the trough as best seen in FIG. 2 and 3 outwardly away from vented flapped passage 90 to the exterior.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,804 issued Jan. 19, 1993 also describes a self-draining door sill as best seen in FIG. 3.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,814 also teaches a draining door sill arrangement. Any rain water seeps under the threshold cap and into the channel flowing to the end of the channel to the drain trough at the cap end as seen in FIG. 1 at item 44.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,614 issued May. 6, 1991 teaches a thermoplastic threshold manufactured by blow molding techniques and being of one-piece construction to rest on a horizontal jamb and having stiffener ribs disposed proximate the bottom thereof. Openings are provided to allow water to flow within a channel through said openings for draining of the threshold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,135 issued Dec. 8, 1970 describes a door jamb construction made from extruded plastic. The two portions making up each jamb include a male and female section which interfit to form said jamb portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,517 issued Nov. 14, 1972 teaches the use of a unitary plastic door frame for defining the head and jambs of a door opening. The structure is best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,519 issued Oct. 31, 1967 also describes plastic materials used for door frames when engaging with the edges of a wall.
Referring now to U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,722, there is described and illustrated adjustable door framing portions formed from plastic including latch jamb, hinge jamb and header jamb assemblies. The assembly ay include or may not include exterior trim. Each portion, i.e. the latch jamb is formed from a single piece of extruded plastic and particularly vinyl.
Canadian Patent No. 1,122,069 issued Apr. 20, 1982 describes a door frame assembly including metal back or jamb members and vinyl jamb members snap engageable with the metal backers, as per the reference figures, usable for the hinge jamb and the latch jambs as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 and described at the appropriate locations corresponding to those figures in the disclosure.
Nothing within the prior art describes or teaches a standard sized, or standard shaped profile for use as header, sill, latch jamb and striker jamb portions within a framing section. Each of the standard shaped and sized profiles includes a first side and a second side wherein are provided mounting portions to mount the framing sections via a supplementary member engaged with the mounting portions to a wall adjacent an opening and thereby enable a wing pivoted from said completed frame to be swung inwardly in a first embodiment or outwardly in a second embodiment from framing sections made from the identical profiles.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a standard framing profile which is simple to manufacture and easy to use which obviates many of the problems in the prior art.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a standard framing profile which interfits with like profiles to provide a frame about a building opening from which a closure wing pivots.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a standard framing profile which includes all of the features required to seal, drain, and hang said profile when installed as for example a sill section.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a standard framing profile which includes a feature allowing for pivoting a wing from a framing section formed from said standard framing profiles as either an inwardly-pivoting wing or an outwardly-pivoting wing without the necessity to change the framing section so installed.
Further and other objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when considering the following summary of the invention and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated herein.